What's Left After the Battle
by AutumnAudacity
Summary: After the death of Ganondorf, Link finds himself without any purpose left. After a year of depression, and a brush with death, he is saved by a most unexpected person, in more ways than one...
1. Chapter 1

All they were was enemies. That was how it was, and that was how it would always be. Eternally, they fought against each other on opposite sides of the yin-yang- The maniacal warthog and the resolute wolf. There were a plethora of differences binding them to their roles as rivals: The warthog was from the harsh desert while the wolf domiciled in the soft vegetation of the forest; The warthog was a king, while the wolf was a mere commoner; The warthog hated humanity and sought its damnation, while the wolf loved and cherished life and sought to preserve it. However, there was, yet, a single similarity that bound them even greater than any difference could:

One was _nothing_ without the other.

Indeed it was true. Without the wolf, the warthog would have no one to use as its sole purpose of living- the sole purpose of reincarnating just to thwart the menace. Likewise, without the warthog, the wolf would be trapped in isolation from the world- A free bird held fast by chains. They needed eachother. They were each other's reason for being.

This could not have been more clear to either of them than after they completed their desires; when the other had perished, it left the last one standing alone and without purpose...

Merely a year after the death of Ganondorf, Link found himself pondering his life. He felt like there was nothing left for him, like his life was over. He tried to move back to Ordan, to continue the life he had left behind, but he couldn't bring himself to do it any longer: there was nothing for him there. The same day-to-day, week-to-week idle chores weighed him down even more than the realization that his purpose was over. After a while, he stopped coming out of his house, even when coaxed by Rusl. One night found him contemplating suicide. It seemed like a plausible option, given that he was no longer needed anymore; though, he just could not bring himself to do it, and so he let himself rot in bed for six months. All that echoed through his head was Ganondorf's voice.

"My country lay within a vast desert. When the sun rose into the sky, a burning wind punished my lands, searing the world. And when the moon climbed into the dark of night, a frigid gale pierced our homes. No matter when it came, the wind carried the same thing... Death."

Those words... They were of truth, a bitter truth that a learned man had gathered in resentment for the gods that punished his people who did naught but try to survive. Of all the blessed areas of Hyrule- The forests that oozed fresh due upon healthy green leaves every morning, the lakeside with an ever-gentle breeze that seemed to kiss its inhabitants, the rich and wealthy prosper of Hyrule Castle Town- why was the desert the single wasteland? Why were the desert people so condemned with an arid landscape too harsh for comfortable living? How could the goddesses be so cruel to people who could do nothing against it?

Where they the same gods that chose him?

The same gods that now left him in his own depression, a monument left to rust now that its use has run out?

The ones who...

The ones who took Midna from him...

With a sudden spark of rage, Link kicked his diningroom table over, all the glass on top smashing onto the floor with a merciless explosion. He stood there, gazing at what he had done as he panted heavily. Finally, he dropped to his knees and began to shake with impudent rage. There was nothing he could do about anyway. Whether they were cruel gods or not, they were not accessible- He couldn't do anything about them.

"But... _Curse them!_" He spat. He ran his fingers through his darkening blonde hair. How he hated this.

How he hated the loneliness. Sure, he had his friends and family, but he lacked anyone who truly understood him. Midna understood him, and so did Ganondorf. Now they were both gone, and he had no one to look at him with those eyes- Those knowing eyes that invigorated him with the igniting excitement that he was _understood_.

How he hated this helplessness. He was truly helpless to save himself... From himself... He could feel himself sinking further and further into the darkness, and it was beginning to suffocate him.

After eight months of wasting in Ordan, he finally decided to hop on Epona in the middle of the night and rode away. He didn't quite know where he was going, but he had to go somewhere. Days went on, and he could find nowhere to rest himself. He and Epona pressed on for what seemed weeks, trying to find the one place that they could be happy. Their journey took them all over the large fields of Hyrule once more, yet Link couldn't bring himself to venture near the castle, or to the villages where people he once saved would look upon him with pity. He knew the many sleepless nights of restlessness had taken a toll on his body, and he knew that it was quite evident.

Finally, they found themselves too tired to continue on. They had been traveling for so long without rest, had not eaten much since they left, and blistering summer sun put all its might on them; it was too much to bear, and even as Link walked beside his horse to give her a break, they still fell to their knees. Epona had suddenly collapsed on to the floor, and all Link could do was follow her lead as he, too, felt his legs give out and fell to his knees. He lay against the dirt ground, his mind spinning emptily. He wasn't quite sure where he was, nor did he care. It didn't matter anymore. Everything just floated above him. Everything just spilled from his mind, all over the ground around him. There were no thoughts left to think, and he settled upon looking at the orange-coloured dirt as it was wisped away by the unwilling breeze.

"My country lay within a vast desert."

"You are Link, the Hero of Light!"

"Tell me… Do you ever feel a strange sadness as dusk falls?"

"When the sun rose into the sky, a burning wind punished my lands, searing the world."

"Well, she's all prettied up now, so I suppose you can ride her back. But don't you make her do too much, okay?"

"Please… I am but a lowly soldier. Please… someone save me from these evil creatures… Ahhh!"

"And when the moon climbed into the dark of night, a frigid gale pierced our homes."

"A sword wields no strength unless the hand that holds it has courage."

"Let's go, Link! For Zelda! For all of this world!"

"No matter when it came, the wind carried the same thing... Death."

"Although I accepted life as the hero, I could not convey the lessons of that life to those who came after. At last, I have eased my regrets. You who have marched through countless foes, each mightier the last… You, who now gaze to the future with vision unclouded… Surely you can restore Hyrule to its stature of yore as the chosen land of the gods. …Farewell! Go and do not falter, my child!"

...

The golden wolf...

Surely he would have felt this pain...

...

Just as his eyes shut, he saw a soft golden light pass over him, and it resonated over his body.


	2. Chapter 2

"Link... I cannot stay here for very long..." She says as she looks away from me. I glance over at her with confusion as to what she meant by this. I can not see her face, but the gentle light of dusk bathes her in a shadow that I know all too well. She is serious, this I know, and there is a touch of sadness in her voice.

"What do..." I decide it is best not to say anything at all, and instead I look over at the setting sun in the horizon before us. The colors seem to melt from the sun and stain the sky with orange pastels. Normally I would never pay such careful attention to the scenery, but at this moment, it strikes me just how beautiful the twilight is... How beautiful Midna is...

Midna turns back to me and puts her hand on my cheek; I turn to face her again, but her eyes are shimmering with tears. I cock my head to the side in confusion, putting my hand over her's, but this affection does not seem to do much for her sorrow. My heart sinks.

"Link..." She begins. "I..." She turns away as tears fall from her face. Her shoulders begin to shake as she holds her face, and I can do nothing but watch. I try to move my body to comfort her, but I feel frozen stiff. I can not do a thing to help her as she pours her sorrow out before me. She sobs for what seems like hours before I can finally move my limbs, and I put my hand on her soft, pale shoulder. Suddenly, she turns and puts her full body on me. I'm frozen as I find her lips pressed roughly on mine. I can't move, my mind is blank, I can see nothing but the rushing thoughts that can't seem to find a beginning or end as my hands shake.

Finally, she releases my lips and buries her face in my chest. As she sobs once more, I slowly regain my composure and wrap my arms around her slender form. I feel as though I have done something wrong, as if I have caused all this sorrow to fall from her tender eyes. Guilt runs through my chest and stomach, and it coils around my lungs like a viper. I want to fall off the cliff in front of us and fall into the abyss that continues to haunt me, but she holds me too tightly.

"I'm so sorry, Link!" She cries out. I smooth my fingers over her soft orange hair. Her hair is the cloud that covers the sky in the dusk, the fur of an omega wolf that roams the dusk ocean in the sea-sky. I smell her aroma of the forest, and I feel as if I'm home. I find my mind wrapped around her, and only her. I have known this for a long time, but I love her. Yet, why was she apologizing to me? I don't understand her tears; I don't understand her words. "Please... Just one more night. I only want to spend one more night with you!" She sobs.

"Of course, Midna... You can stay with me forever if you'd like..." I whisper to her. She looks up with her tears sparkling in the sun. I wipe the tears from her face and cup her cheeks. The moon is nearly in the sky, and as the dark blue hue swallows the orange, she has her lips on mine once more.

* * *

When Link opened his eyes, everything was blurry. A heavy feeling in his gut ran up to his mind as one thought caused him to jolt up.

"Midna?" Link called out for his love. He peered at his surroundings with confusion as he searched for the twilight being. He found himself in a hollowed building with only a set of stairs and... _Cats?!_ He looked down at his lap to find countless cats sitting about him with pleasant faces. It then hit him... It had all been a dream... He sighed and hung his head. "Wait..." He mumbled. He took another look at the structures around him, and at the blanket wrapped around him and narrowed his eyebrows in confusion. How did he get to the... "Hidden Village? But Epona and I we-" He stood up on his feet suddenly and hurried over to the opening in the building to see outside. As he hurried, he could feel the aches in his body once more, and by the time he reached the wall, he had to hold on to it to keep from falling. "Epona!" He called, wincing. There was no answer. His heart pace quickened as he pushed himself off the wall and rushed outside. "Epona!" He called out again as he held his side. He didn't get very far before he fell to his knees and felt his lungs swell. He willed himself up once more, but he soon suffered the same fate, except this time he began to cough up blood. His vision blurred and his breathing became eratic until his face was flushed against the dirt again.

Ahead of him, he could just barely make out the shadow of a person coming toward him. It washed over him, and was followed by a pair of legs. He closed his eyes as he tried to think about his situation. Then, he felt a pressure on his back and opened his eyes. The body beside him was crouched, leaning over to put its hands on his back. It rolled him over on to him back gently, and the sun hit his eyes. He winced. Despite his discomfort, he struggled to see whom sat above him. It covered the sun with its body, leaving a shadow over his body; however, he couldn't see the details of the body as it was only a silhouette.

"Who are you?" Link asked hoarsely. The figure put its hand over his eyes. He was to move, and instead let the figure do what it wished. Soon, he found himself drifting off again.

* * *

Again, he opened his eyes and found himself laying where he had been before he got up. He moved his head to the side to find a young black kitten staring at him. It looked to be no more than a couple months old, as it was still a fur ball of fluff, and its big eyes seemed to innocent to be very old at all. He gave it a half smile and slowly rose from the floor. It was dark outside then; he had to have passed out for a couple of hours... Except, it must have been quite a sleep because his body felt a lot better than it had even before he began his journey. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes and slowly rose to his feet. The cats around him scattered from him on their own business and left him alone... All except for the small black kitten. He looked down at it, expecting it to scatter along with its friends, as kittens usually followed their kind. Yet, it stayed right with him. He shrugged it off and took a step towards the opening. The kitten followed right behind him. He stopped, and so, too, did it. He kneeled and crossed his arms.

"Are you following me?" He questioned it in playful annoyance. It pawed its nose. He smiled a little, the closest he got to a smile since... "Maybe you know where my horse is?" He asked. It blinked. He sighed and shrugged. "Well... You can help me look, then..." With that, he scooped the kitten into his arms, which it pleasantly obliged. They strolled out of the building and out into the ghost town.

A gentle breeze blew across the land, carrying the sand with it; It stroked his cheek like a welcoming mother. The crescent moon above him lit up the sky and the area around him. Even though the area was lit by the moon, lanterns still hung from the balconies, burning with fresh flames as deep of a crimson as snow was pure white. He ambled through the darkness silently, recalling the other person that wandered here. Perhaps the old woman- No, the figure could not have been the old woman... Then who was it? Was it a friend of the Impaz? Or maybe... Maybe the figure had murdered her?

Link shook his head of the thought. He didn't need to jump to conclusions- Not at a time like this. He didn't have his sword or any of his weapons, there was not much of a chance that he would win in a fight against someone who probably had a hoard of weapons at his disposal. No, he needed to find his horse and be gone. Suddenly, his ears perked up as he heard a soft voice echoing throughout the small town.

"Kitsune!" The voice echoed. It was almost woman-like, but with the echo, Link couldn't quite tell what it was. It could have been the sound of windchimes for all he knew.

Link turned around to search for the voice even still, but the kitten wriggled its way out of his arms and hopped to the floor. It took off for whatever was calling. He followed it until they reached the house Impaz stayed in, and there a figure standing in the doorway caught his eye. The figure was unmistakably the one that he had seen previously. He stood stiff, yet still, as he glared at it. It kneeled and motioned for the kitten to come to it. It happily did so, and the figure stood once more with the kitten in its arms. Then, it went back into the house and closed the door. He stood out in the open for a while as the breeze strolled past him.

Suddenly, the door opened once more, and the same figure emerged. It stepped outside and closed the door behind it. Still, shadows fell on it, as Link stood in the light of the moon. A stiff wind blew between us.


End file.
